Change For The Better
by ThousandYearsOfAwkward
Summary: Post-chuunin exams Gaara struggles to change himself to be a better person. Shukaku has other plans. Kankuro's POV.
1. Chapter 1: Crazy

AN: I've wanted to write another fan-fiction about post-chuunin exam Gaara and how he builds bonds with his siblings. I came up with this a while ago and almost finished it, but my hard drive crashed and I lost all my editing. But thankfully I found the original notebook I wrote it in, and for something I wrote over a year ago, I don't really hate it, surprisingly (usually I despise any fan-fictions from my mid-teens, since I was irrationally angsty all the time). So I re-edited it a little, and I wanted to finally post it. :) (And I'll probably edit it again within the next week or so, so let me know if there are any obvious mistakes or if you have any suggestions).

Really long intro. Sorry; I wanted to set the scene a little.

Chapter 1

Crazy

I think it's around eleven o' clock at night right now. I sluggishly change into my pajamas, exhausted from the three-day mission that my siblings and I just returned home from. Since the three of us are still genin – even though none of us should be at that low of a rank; we're some of the strongest shinobi in our village – none of us got paid that much, even though it was a pretty tough mission. Apparently genin are "less experienced" and "less reliable" than chuunin and jounin are, so the person who hired us didn't have to pay as much. But I guess it has been okay, though. We all still live together, and our three salaries combined have been enough to keep us going since our father's recent death.

My father and I were never close, so that probably explains why I haven't been plagued by his absence. It seems like that's the case with my siblings, too. Actually, for me at least, it has been more tolerable _not_ having him around.

For one thing, it's certainly a lot quieter now that it's just the three of us (I never knew my mother; she died when I was still just a baby). Sure, I talk to Temari sometimes, but other than that, the house usually stays very quiet. Gaara usually doesn't talk unless asked a direct question, and he silently enters and exits the house on a whim; I usually can't even tell if he's home or not. I can't help but wonder where he goes when he leaves at night. And… I've noticed that there's something different about him, ever since we got home from Konoha's recent chuunin exams. I can't quite place it yet – probably because we never talk – but I know that something has definitely changed. He's still so quiet and reserved, but he seems less hostile and a lot more cooperative during chores and missions. I'm not exactly ready to let my guard down, but it's been less nerve-wracking to be around him lately.

Not that there's been time to relax, anyway. We wake up early, work, come home late… Rinse and repeat.

Speaking of rinsing, I just brushed my teeth, and now I'm trying to wash my face as I compete for space in the bathroom with Temari. Thanks to my constant shoving, I manage to finish right before she does. I leave the bathroom and start to walk down the hallway toward the living room. All the lights are turned off, and it's pitch black except for the glow underneath the bathroom door, which Temari just slammed shut behind me.

I grope in the darkness, using the walls as guidance. I usually read a magazine or manga before falling asleep, and most of the ones that I haven't read yet are in the parlor. I still can't see anything, but I know I must be close to the parlor's light switch from having lived here so long. I take a few more steps, and I must have just turned the corner, because I can now see moonlight peeking through one of the circular windows in the living room. With another step towards the window, I can see that there's a full moon tonight. I immediately tense; I remember my uncle telling me when I was little that nights with full moons are when Gaara is the most unstable, and when his demon Shukaku has the most influence over him. Temari and I know too well to be careful and keep clear of him – I mean, we _always_ do that, but even more than usual on nights like this… Let's just say that I learned that lesson the hard way a couple of years ago.

I figure that I should see if he's there before waltzing in and turning the light on – the kid likes the dark, so I wouldn't be too surprised to find him lurking here. Sure enough, I can see his crimson hair shining in the glow of the moonlight from the window. I can see the right side of his face, and he looks deep in concentration, with this expression in his eyes that reminds me of …_panic_? His shoulders are up right next to his ears, and he's sitting and leaning forward with his elbows on his thighs. He's got his left hand at his head, clawing at tufts of his hair, and he's panting the slightest bit.

"Shukaku…" I murmur to myself, almost mouthing it without making noise. But, with my luck, Gaara hears it. He lifts his head up and looks in my direction, probably not able to actually see me in the darkness.

"Kankuro?" Gaara calls cautiously, with this nervous and shaky tone of voice that I don't think I've ever heard from him before.

I need to get out of here, because I _value_ my life. But my legs don't do as I tell them, and they lead me closer to where Gaara's sitting.

As the distance closes between us, I get a better look at him. I have to stifle a gasp; he's partially transformed into Shukaku. He has its ears, tail, and its form is also starting to show on his hands, left arm, and the upper right side of his face.

I stumble backwards to get some distance between us again. He's still looking at me, and it takes me a few moments to realize that he looks… _Scared_.

"I'm still in control…" he murmurs with a strained voice, "For now…" he continues almost inaudibly, but in the near-silent room I'm still able to hear him. I can see that he's trembling slightly. Against my better judgment, I walk closer to him again, and now I'm standing in front of him; I must be about three to four paces away.

I'm shaking too, and he notices, "You're scared of me…" he comments in a dejected tone. I nod nervously in response, "I am too," he adds in a murmur, frowning.

I sit next to him, on his right. I can't help but wonder what I'm getting myself into. It doesn't seem like he wants to hurt me, or at least not yet. But what if he loses control anyway? Or what if I accidentally piss him off? It scares me just to think about it.

He gives me this hesitant and anxious expression, like he's reluctant to let me be this close to him. He tenses up and eyes me cautiously, but he doesn't say anything.

My stomach suddenly twists with guilt and pity, "Gaara… Hey, look, I'm sorry-"

Gaara suddenly yells in pain and leans forward with his head in his hands. I see Shukaku's form rapidly possessing him; I jump to a standing position and start backing away from his nearly feral state, afraid to completely turn my back to him.

He looks up at me, keeping his hands at the sides of his head, and I yelp in alarm; the absence of the irises in his widened eyes startles me. And his mouth is hanging slightly open, like he's frozen in a state of shock.

My first instinct is to run away, but as I stumble to get away from him, he stands up and grabs my arm in an attempt to stop me. Shukaku's claws dig into my skin deeply, ripping skin off. I wince as a reflex to pain, and to my surprise, he suddenly pulls away.

"I'm sorry…" he murmurs in a strained voice, and he's starting to hyperventilate. It seems like he's fighting for control over his body and actions at this point – I hope he wins, "I'm… So sorry…" he wheezes. I freeze in place at the tone of his voice; it sounds so feeble. His eyes are still empty and white, which makes me really uncomfortable.

Blood starts dripping down my arm from the recent flash wound Gaara gave me, and we both stare at it numbly. He twitches suddenly, violently, and shouts in agony. I stagger backwards both in fear and surprise, and I slam my back into the wall.

Gaara yells again and falls to his knees with a loud thud. He leans forward, so far that his forehead touches the floor, and he clutches his head tightly.

"Oh!" I exclaim suddenly, realizing that him being so close to blood is what's making him struggle so much. I run to the bathroom to get the first aid kit… And I'm also eager to just get away from him when he's like this.

When I swing the bathroom door open, Temari screams, but clamps a hand over her mouth when she realizes it's just me.

"Kankuro! Oh, you're all right!" she exclaims. I can see her whole body shaking, "I thought you were…" she trails off, frowning. I get the first-aid kit from the cabinet and start cleaning and dressing my arm with thin white wraps.

"Your arm…" she murmurs, lightly touching her cheek with her hand.

"I'm fine, don't worry. It was… An _accident_," I say, and it sounds just as stupid as I thought it would.

"An '_accident_?' But Kankuro, I don't-"

We both freeze as Gaara's groans and screams suddenly cease altogether.

"Stay here, okay?" I say as I head for the door, now finished bandaging my arm.

"Are you _crazy_?" she screeches. But I leave without hesitating, and as I head down the hallway, I begin to realize how "_crazy_" I really am. Or is it really being _crazy_? As scary as this situation is, and how many bad memories of Gaara I have, I can't get that expression he had earlier out of my mind. I feel somehow responsible for his pain as I suddenly realize that I know very little, if anything, about my little brother. And that realization is what propels my shaking legs all the way back to where Gaara is.


	2. Chapter 2: Guilt

Chapter 2

Guilt

When I finally get back to the living room, Gaara's still in the same spot on his knees, but he's sitting up straight with his arms limp by his sides. His eyes are still that creepy white all over, and the color has completely drained from his face. Shukaku's form had continued to take over his body while I had been gone; his arms have transformed, along with most of his upper torso.

I stay near the doorway, in case I have to make a break for it. He notices me there, and he suddenly looks up at me, "You… You came back?" he asks, his voice trembling slightly. He sounds and looks a little relieved, which makes me feel really guilty for all the times I've abandoned him to deal with Shukaku on his own.

"Yeah…" I answer, still cautious around him, "Are… Are you okay now?"

He shakes his head slowly, as a silent "no." Shukaku's form continues to possess him, and he just frowns up at me.

"What…? Wait… You're… Giving up?"

Gaara doesn't answer me; he looks down at the floor like he's ashamed of himself. After a long pause, he finally speaks, keeping his head lowered, "It hurts… I… I can't…"

"Gaara…" I murmur, frowning. I start to walk over to him slowly and carefully, when I know I should probably be running as fast as I can.

"I'm fighting a losing battle…" Gaara states in a strained voice, and I can tell that it's taking all his energy just to keep himself under control, "There's… Nothing I can do…"His voice cracks slightly, and Shukaku possesses him even further. He groans and leans forward, putting his weight on his right hand.

"Gaara… Don't give in to it, okay?" I murmur, thinking about how it wasn't just _my_ life at stake; Temari is still in the other room. I kneel down in front of him, and again I begin to question my sanity.

He yells suddenly, and lurches to the right. He crumples to the floor, writhing in pain. I can hear this hissing sound from around us, but I can't tell where it's coming from.

"Gaara!" I call out to him, but I have no idea what to do; I haven't seen him like this since he was seven years old. I remember that there's a huge difference between this and most of his other possessions I've seen since then. This is a _forced_ possession… He doesn't want this…

He yells again, and sand whips around us as he's almost completely possessed, "Get away!" he yells. When I don't respond, he continues, "Get away from me-" he groans in pain again, "Take Temari and _go_!"

I'm frozen in place by the words he said. But it wasn't a good idea to hesitate; the sand lashes at me from all directions, and I yell in pain. Both of my arms are really warm, and I wonder if I'm bleeding again.

The sand whirls around us so fast and hits me so forcefully that it snaps me out of my trance-like state. I suddenly realize that it's too late now; Gaara's almost completely lost control, and if I don't get out of here right now, I'm surely going to die. I scramble to my feet, but sand wraps around my right ankle and yanks me back down. I can feel my bones cracking against the applied pressure from the sand.

"Gaara! Stop!" Temari yells. I look up; she's standing in the doorway, trembling in fear. She must have come when she heard me yelling. She immediately regrets drawing attention to herself though; her eyes widen as the sand releases me and lashes at her instead. She gets thrown across the room and knocked unconscious from hitting the wall with so much force. She slumps to the ground and remains motionless.

"Temari!" I yell.

The sand and wind suddenly cease movement and the sand falls to the ground. I turn around to Gaara and I see that he's panting heavily with a pained expression on his face, "No… No," he murmurs almost inaudibly, staring at Temari with empty white eyes, "No…" he repeats with the slightest whimper in his tone.

I grab him by the shoulders and sit him up straight, taking advantage of the sudden stillness around him. My fear is no longer enough to make me hesitate, "Gaara! Gaara, snap out of it! Please, you've got to-"

I expect Gaara to lose control again and fight my grip, but he instead groans softly and leans into my chest, still wheezing heavily from all the strain, "I'm so sorry…" he murmurs in an exhausted tone. He obviously can't hold himself up anymore, so I wrap my arms around him, "Are you going to be okay?" I ask, trying to calm both of us down.

He slowly looks up at me and nods weakly, and never have I been so relieved to see those piercing aquamarine eyes again. Shukaku's form starts to recede painfully slowly, but steadily at least. He has his hand over his mouth and starts shuddering, and it takes me way too long to realize he's going to throw up. But I manage to grab the nearest trash can just in time.

I can see Temari stirring, but I know I can't leave Gaara yet, or try to move him. By his groans and strained breathing still, I can tell that he's still hurting a lot, which means he's still very unstable. He wraps his arms around me and grips the back of my shirt. I brace myself for the scratch of Shukaku's claws, but I don't feel it. I look down at Gaara, and other than the lack of color in his face – other than the red spots from popped blood vessels – and the physical pain and weakness, he seems like he's almost back to normal.

"I'm sorry…" Gaara murmurs again, and his voice is muffled by my T-shirt.

"It's okay," I respond, my trembling voice betraying the calm expression I put on. I slide my hand up and down his back, and to my surprise, he relaxes in my arms.

Gaara says something, but his face is still buried in my shirt and I can't hear him, "Hmm?" I question, almost afraid to hear what he wants to say.

He picks his head up to look at me, 'Thank you… For helping me…" he has to keep taking pauses to breathe heavily, "And… For not giving up on me…" His eyes are glossy, and he smiles weakly at me before putting his head back down and pressing the side of his face against my chest. I can tell by the way he hesitates that he wanted to say more and was censoring himself. I'll have to ask him about it later. But… I don't think I've ever seen him smile before. I mean, smiling in a non-threatening way. It wasn't just my imagination; I think he's really changed in the past few weeks. Instead of responding verbally, I just hug him tighter to let him know that it's okay.

Temari's fully awake now. Physically, she seems fine, but she looks so frightened and disoriented. She's staring at me with wide eyes, "Are you okay?" she mouths silently, nodding her head towards Gaara, who has just grabbed the trash can again. I cringe in an over-dramatic expression as he retches violently, and then smile weakly at Temari. She doesn't smile back like I hoped though, and she just stares at Gaara, almost spitefully.

I help my brother back to his feet and lead him over to the couch. He almost falls twice, so I'm glad I had my arm around him to steady him. He puts his back against one of the armrests and sits sideways, hugging his knees into his chest. He seems all right for now, so I give him a quick pat on the shoulder and head over to Temari.

"Are you all right?" I ask seriously, but then I smirk to try and lighten the mood, "You took one hell of a fall, there."

"Yeah… I'm fine…" she says, though her tone makes that statement harder for me to believe. My stomach twists with anxiety, because I can clearly see the gears of her brain working as she stares intently past me at Gaara, "Kankuro…" she murmurs darkly, in a voice so quiet that I have to lean forward in order to hear her, "We… I think we should leave…"

I give her a puzzled expression, "What? Wait… Why?" I ask, tilting my head to the side, "He says he's okay now-"

"And you suddenly trust him?" Temari whispers sharply, "He… He just tried to kill us!"

"Temari… I…" I pause, trying to keep my voice down so Gaara won't hear, "He said he was really sorry-"

"Oh, right. Because that makes it all better, thanks," Temari cuts in, frowning, "We're in danger, Kankuro," she pushed herself to her feet.

"Look, it was an accident, Temari-" I start, standing up too.

"That's just as bad as it being on purpose! Because that means it could happen again at any given moment!" She stops suddenly, realizing she'd raised her voice, "We… We can't stay here anymore, Kankuro… It's too dangerous; you and I both know it. I… I know he's our brother, but…" She looks over at Gaara, as if considering something, but then she quickly shakes her head, "We can't. He's too unstable. We're lucky that we're even alive, with all the close calls we've had over the years."

"Temari, I get your point, but I still think-"

"I don't want to die yet, Kankuro," she declares, her eyes brimming with tears. She manages to hold them back, though, "If he hadn't been able to stop himself, we'd both be dead-"

"But that's exactly my point. He _was_ able to stop himself. He's obviously changed-"

"It was a little late as it was, don't you think? I could have easily died just now. And we can't always count on him being able to stop on his own, Kankuro… I… If you're not coming with me, then I'll just leave without you," she says, but her eyes are pleading with me to go with her.

I'm at a loss for words, because a huge part of me knows she's right to worry, "He's… He's our little brother, Temari…"

That must have struck a nerve, because she suddenly brings her voice to a yell, "How dare you use that card! Do you really have the right to say that, as if you care more than I do? You're such a hypocrite! Up until minutes ago, you didn't give a _shit_ about him; admit it!" Gaara's head sinks lower as she says that, because all three of us know it's true, "You were just as scared of him as everyone else in Suna… And with a good reason, don't you think?" she says, rudely signaling at him. Gaara gets up and quickly leaves the room, holding his head down.

I reach my arm out, contemplating going after him, but Temari grabs my hands in her own, Please, Kankuro…"

"Temari…" I murmur, running out of things to say. As much as I feel bad for Gaara, all of a sudden her words begin to register within me, and it seems like everything she's saying is right, and that I'm the one who needs a reality check. She's right; it would be "smart" of us to leave while we can, but I don't know if "smart" is what I want to be right now, if it means abandoning my little brother, once again. I think what I truly want now is to be there for him, because I think he wouldn't have ended up like this if I had just been by his side from the start, "I… I can't…"

I frown at Temari, and she tugs on my hand, "Please… Let's just go… We can worry about our belongings later, okay?"

"Will it be easier if I just leave?"

I turn at the sound of the voice and see Gaara standing in the doorway of the front door, and he's reverted to his usual cold and blank expression. He's got both his gourd and a duffel bag over his shoulders and he's carrying a smaller bag in his right hand. His eyes are red and swollen and I realize that he was crying… I hadn't thought that he was still capable of that. He was probably able to pack so fast because he always has an overnight bag pre-packed that he takes with him when he leaves the house. That's how I had always been able to tell when he was probably coming back when he went on his random walks; based on how much he'd brought with him.

My mouth is hanging open in shock, though, at the prospect of him leaving "for good." I can't even find words to say. Beside me, Temari holds her head down to avoid meeting Gaara's penetrating gaze.

Gaara takes our silence as a "yes." He opens the front door, but pauses, "I'm really sorry… For everything…" he says numbly, unable to make eye contact with either of us. But as he's halfway out the door, he turns his head to look at me with this anxious expression, like he's waiting for me to try and stop him. When I don't, he bites his lip and leaves, gently closing the door behind him.

It takes a moment for his departure to sink in, but when it does, it hurts. Once again, I let him down. And this time he was truly counting on me. My stomach twists with guilt, "Gaara! Wait!" I yell, running to the front door and yanking it open. I run outside to find him, and repeatedly call out his name. But he's nowhere to be seen… He's already gone.


	3. Chapter 3: Awkward

Chapter 3

Awkward

So I discovered something today: it's very difficult to look for someone who doesn't want to be found. After two long hours of searching for my brother, I'm completely exhausted. I find a bench and practically collapse onto it, sulking with my chin in the palms of my hands.

Thoughts race through my mind. Things like, I wonder whose feelings I hurt more tonight; Temari's or Gaara's? Temari was angry and scared, and it probably really hurt her feelings that I took Gaara's side, especially after she had just gotten injured by him. All these years the two of us had stuck together, and she must be feeling so betrayed; I really put her on the spot… But I keep picturing the look on Gaara's face before he left… I keep wishing I had been able to say something before he walked out. Why did I hesitate?

It's not long after I sit down that I feel someone standing in front of me, silent and motionless. It's like they're just waiting patiently for me to acknowledge them.

I look up eagerly, and I see Temari standing in front of me, "Oh…" I murmur, probably looking really disappointed; for some reason, I was really expecting and hoping that it was going to be Gaara.

"Kankuro…" she says softly, trying to come up with something more to say. She hesitates, but eventually decides to sit next to me, "Look… I'm sorry for earlier-"

"Oh, right. Because that makes it all better, thanks," I say, quoting her from our earlier argument… Back when Gaara was still with us... I frown and feel myself sink further into the seat.

She goes to respond with an angry expression on her face, but she stops herself and stares out in front of her rather than at me. She must be counting to ten, controlling her temper. She usually only makes it to five, but this time she calms down. She starts again, still not looking at me, "You couldn't find him?" she asks, but it sounds more like a statement than a question.

She already knows the answer, but I still shake my head. She puts her hand on my shoulder, "Maybe it's for the best, Kankuro."

My breathing hitches and I can barely resist the urge to lash out at her. She senses my sudden anger and stands back up, trying to look as if she's been patient with me, "Well… Just come home when you're feeling better, okay?"

I didn't plan on answering the question, which I thought was rhetorical, but she but she stays standing in front of me, waiting for an answer. I think that deep down, she's a little afraid of being left completely alone.

"Whatever," I murmur in a low growl. She frowns at me in both frustration and guilt, but she finally leaves me alone.

I'm shivering, and I suddenly wish I'd taken the extra two seconds to grab a coat before sprinting out the door. But then again I had expected to see him hesitating and be able to talk him out of it. I get up and start to walk the streets aimlessly, since I don't really feel like going home and dealing with Temari yet. I can't tell exactly what time it is, but I'm guessing it must be around three in the morning by now. As if on cue, my muscles ache, reminding me of the exhausting mission from earlier. I suddenly realize that if he _is_ just sitting around somewhere, and not hiding from me, the street wouldn't be where I'd find him anyway. He likes to sit up really high, usually on the rooftops. It's as if he's one of the stray cats.

I jump up on one of the roofs and start to walk around, jumping from building to building. Sure enough, after a few minutes of looking, I find him sitting above one of the shops. He looks like he's been there for a while. I look down at the ground and realize that he was right within earshot of me and Temari's conversation on the bench earlier.

"So you've been up there this whole time, huh?" I say with a nervous laugh. I can't really see him well from where I am, so I ask, "Are you….?"

He knew what I was thinking before I even started the sentence, "Stable? Yeah…" Gaara responds all-too-quickly with a slightly annoyed tone. I just realized how aggravating that must be for him. Everyone here in this village – including me – always assumes the worst from him… We're always checking on him. But then again, he _did_ just have an episode, even if it wasn't on purpose.

"You're coming back home, right?" I say as casually as I can. He looks away from me quickly. I sit down beside him, and by the way he tenses up, I can tell I'm invading his personal space.

"It's better if I don't," he says.

I assume he's referring to Temari, "She'll get over it, Gaara. We'll move forward from this."

"She hates me."

"She doesn't-"

"You hated me. You still do."

"Now that's not true Gaara; I never hated you."

He turns to look at me and narrows his eyes to a glare. I quickly elaborate, "Sure, you scared the shit out of me and you annoyed me a bit when you got bossy, but I never _hated_ you. I just… I didn't understand. And neither did Temari. We can fix that, though."

"It's too late."

"It's never too late. I believe in you… And that kid believed in you; why do you think he tried so hard to get through to you?"

"Naruto?" Gaara loosens up a bit, as if I have just provided scientific evidence.

"Yeah, _he_ didn't think it was too late, did he?"

Gaara stays silent for a while. I spring to my feet, "Come on, let's go home," I say confidently. I hold out my hand to help him up. He stares at it intently, as if it's a foreign object.

"Gaara… It'll be okay. Trust me."

His arm hovers out in front of him as he weighs his options. He looks up at me for a moment, then shakes his head and recoils his arm.

I'm genuinely surprised at this, "Wait… Why?" I ask.

"It's not that easy… It won't work…"

"If people are really_ that_ afraid of you, and you think they won't be able to trust you, do you really think that they are going to question you? Have they _ever_ questioned you? Well, uh… Not to your face, anyway… Look, I know that there's a good person hiding in there, but no one will notice that if you just give up now. The only difference I can see between you trying to change and you giving up hope is that it's fucking freezing out here, and it's nice and warm back home."

I laugh at my own joke, and he finally makes eye contact with me again, "I can help you. I'll be here for you with every step… I promise," I say, reaching my hand out to him again. I truly believe my own words. I won't let him down this time. For too many years I have ignored him and haven't been there for him, and that will change right now. And I'm sure Temari will come to her senses. Maybe Baki will help, too. Building trust just takes a lot of time, especially when you've proven yourself unworthy of trust in the past.

He hesitates for a few seconds, but then nods and takes my hand. I pull him up and we go home. But on the way, I'm more focused on what my explanation to Temari will sound like.

He senses my anxiety, "Should I wait until you talk to her?"

"I think the only way to do this is to force it. It's going to be awkward, I'm sorry."

"I'm used to that," he says. I'm relieved that his mood seems to have lightened. I don't think I've ever seen him like this, actually; maybe he already trusts me as his older brother.

After walking in silence for a couple of blocks, he speaks up again, "Thank you," he says warmly.

"Anytime," I say, flashing him a grin. I put my hand on his shoulder, "You know, I think we've exchanged more words tonight than we have in twelve years."

He tenses up as we reach our door, "It's going to be okay," I reiterate, squeezing his shoulder. I use my key to open the door, and I step in to see the lights are all on and Temari was waiting for me. I feel a pang of guilt.

"Oh good, you're back," she says with a relieved smile as I walk through the door. I tilt my head in confusion, and I realize Gaara is still standing out of her sight. I pull him in by his wrist, and Temari's face drops. She gives me a hurt look before going to her room.

Gaara looks genuinely disappointed. He turns on his heels and starts to leave, but I drag him back, "It's going to be all right, Gaara," I say. I pull him all the way into the house and shut the door behind us.

I try to stay up the rest of the night with him, in fear that if I go to sleep he'll disappear again. I struggle to keep him company, but as the hours go by I can feel myself slipping. I wake up face-down on the couch, and I suddenly realize that I didn't keep tabs on Gaara. But the panic goes away just as quickly as it started; Gaara's perched on the armrest of the couch next to my legs, waiting patiently.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"You needed to sleep," Gaara interrupted.

"I don't know how you do it," I say through a yawn, referring to his insomnia.

"Me neither," he admits.

"I'll go see if she's up," I say, shuffling down the hallway towards Temari's room. I can see light peeking from underneath her door, so I knock. She doesn't answer, but I go in anyway. She's sitting on the edge of her bed with her head in her hands.

"Hey," I say.

"Is that really all you have to say to me?" She responds with a glare. She sits up and turns to me, "That wasn't fair."

"He lives here, so I think it's perfectly fair, especially since he provides most of the money and most of it gets spent on you."

"Are you really going to go there?"

"Only if you continue to push me."

She bites her bottom lip, "Fine... But this is _such_ a bad idea, and it better not come and bite me in the ass, because this whole time-"

"I know, I know. It'll be fine, I promise."

"You haven't been known to be good with your word."

"Just give him another chance, Temari. You haven't exactly been the perfect sister."

She looks away from me, "Whatever."

I shut the door as I leave. I head to the kitchen, following the scent of pancakes. Gaara is already almost done cooking and plating. The sun is starting to rise through the window.

"What is this, a peace offering?"

"I figured I'd try," he says, a little disheartened by my expression, "Was it a bad idea?"

"I don't know yet; she's still pretty upset. And since when did you learn to cook that well?"

"Since twelve years of midnight snacks," he retorts.

I'm still taken aback by how socially open he's being with me. And I didn't even have to do much to get him to talk to me like this. But it also makes me more ashamed of how much I neglected him all these years. This whole time, all I had to do was talk to him…

Temari stands in the doorway, as if asking permission to enter, "There's some for you," I say, motioning at how Gaara was including her.

She has her head down as she takes the plate Gaara offered out to her, "Thanks," she murmurs and she sits down at the table. We eat in complete silence until she finally speaks up, "I'm sorry…" she mutters, looking over at Gaara, and I can tell she really means it.

Gaara takes a shaky breath, "It's all right," he says, but I can tell he's still really hurt. I realize that it may actually take a lot of time for him to begin to trust her, when I've been just worrying about _her_ trusting _him_…

… But it's a start.

AN: I'm actually going to end this story here. Trying to write anything past this seems like it should be a different story and/or it comes out forced. I thought that it could end here since it implies that things will get better between them eventually. :)


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